Rub rail with a moisture seal

ABSTRACT

A rub rail assembly for mounting on a surface of a vessel includes a rigid portion having a mounting side facing the surface of the vessel, a wear side facing away from the surface of the vessel. Flexible strips are disposed on the mounting side for preventing moisture from reaching the surface of the vessel under the rigid portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 60/590,568, filed on Jul. 23, 2004, entitled MOISTURE SEAL INEGRATEDWITH RUB RAIL; the prior application is herewith incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a rub rail for attaching to a deck and/or hullof a boat, more specifically, to a rub rail with a moisture seal and afiller for the space between the boat and the rub rail.

2. Description of the Related Art

The present invention is a rub rail with a moisture seal. Rub rails areused generally in boats, and for mounting to the hull and/or deck of aboat to prevent damage to the hull or deck when the boat comes incontact with another object.

Many types of land-based and marine vehicles use some form ofenergy-absorbing protective strip to reduce the likelihood and extent ofbody damage in the event of contact with some foreign object. In thecase of vehicles such as automobiles, this protective strip is called“body side molding”, while in marine vessels it is called a “rub rail”.

Rub rails presently in common use are extrusions of aluminum, rigidvinyl, or flexible vinyl. Both the aluminum and the rigid vinyl rubrails lay straight when installed on the deck or hull of the boat andgenerally do not show distortions or pucker marks due to fastenerpressure. This results in aesthetically pleasing installations.

Commercially available PVC rub rails include solid rub rails withfasteners visible on the outer surface of the extrusion, rub railshaving an elongated region where a rope or flexible tubing may beinserted, and those with a channel in which a rigid stiffener isinserted.

Moisture entry into the backing of the PVC rub rails currently in use isone disadvantage of the placement of the rub rails because it promotesgrowth of fungus and molds. Caulking material is currently appliedbetween the backing of the rub rail and hull to impair moisture entry.While this does provide one solution to the problem, the application andcleanup of the caulking material is messy and time consuming.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide rub rail whichovercomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-knowndevices of this general type and which provides a rub rail that is easyto install and does not require any caulk to seal properly.

With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, inaccordance with the invention a rub rail assembly for mounting on asurface of a vessel. The assembly includes a rigid portion having amounting side facing the surface of the vessel, a wear side facing awayfrom the surface of the vessel. Flexible strips are disposed on themounting side for preventing moisture from reaching the surface of thevessel under the rigid portion.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, the rigid portionhas a plurality of holes formed therein, each of the holes receive arespective fastener.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention, a flexibleelongated pad is disposed at the holes on the mounting side. Theelongated pad seals the surface of the vessel when the fasteners are inplace.

In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the rigid portionincludes legs disposed on the mounting side of the rigid portion. Eachof the legs having a respective one of the flexible strips disposedthereon.

In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, one of thelegs is longer than the other for accommodating a shoebox-type deck/hullconstruction.

In accordance with another mode of the invention, the legs aresubstantially of equal length for accommodating a flange-type deck/hullconstruction.

In accordance with a further mode of the invention the flexible stripshave a shore A durometer of 55-85.

In accordance with an additional mode of the invention, the flexiblestrips are co-extruded with the rigid portion.

In accordance with yet an additional mode of the invention, the flexiblestrips and the elongated pad have a shore A durometer of 55-85.

In accordance with still an additional mode of the invention, theflexible strips and the elongated pad are co-extruded with the rigidportion.

With the objects of the invention in view, there is also provided a rubrail assembly for mounting on a surface of a vessel. The assemblyincludes a rigid portion having a substantially U-shaped or concavecross-section, a mounting side facing the surface of the vessel and awear side facing away from the surface of the vessel. The U-shapedcross-section has two ends on the mounting side. The ends each have arespective flexible strip disposed thereon for preventing moisture fromreaching the surface of the vessel under the rigid portion.

In accordance with yet an added feature of the invention, the ends aresubstantially coplanar for accommodating a flange-type deck/hullconstruction.

In accordance with yet an additional feature of the invention, the endsare not coplanar in order to accommodate a shoebox-type deck/hullconstruction.

Other features which are considered as characteristic for the inventionare set forth in the appended claims.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodiedin a rub rail with a moisture seal for a boat, it is nevertheless notintended to be limited to the details shown, since various modificationsand structural changes may be made therein without departing from thespirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents ofthe claims.

The construction and method of operation of the invention, however,together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be bestunderstood from the following description of specific embodiments whenread in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the rub rail in an unmounted stateof the rub rail;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the of the rub rail according to FIG. 1 inan unmounted state of the rub rail;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the of the rub rail according to FIG. 1 ina mounted state on a “shoebox” style deck/hull construction; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the of the rub rail according to FIG. 1 ina mounted state on a “pancake” style deck/hull construction.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first,particularly, to FIG. 1 thereof, a rub rail 1 having a substantiallyu-shaped cross section is shown. The rub rail 1 is extrusion molded fromrigid PVC material in the shape provided. The rub rail 1 includes amounting side 2, which faces the hull 21 of the boat and a wear side 3,which faces away from the hull 21 of the boat. The rub rail 1 includesends 7 which are on the mounting side 2 of the rub rail. Flexible orelastic strips 4 are provided on the ends 7 of the rub rail 1. Thestrips 4 are attached to the ends 7 of the rub rail 1 by an extrusionprocess, which attaches flexible material to the ends 7 as indicated bythe darker segments at the ends 7 of the rub rail 1. The flexible strips4, when seated against the hull 21 or deck 20, provide a secure moistureseal without the need for applying caulking or other moisture barriercompounds, which saves both labor and material costs.

An elongated pad 6 of flexible material is provided at the centersection of the rub rail 1 on the mounting side 2. The elongated pad 6acts as a moisture barrier where a center screw 5 attaches the rub railto the deck 20 and hull 21. This elongated piece of material may beapproximately 0.6 inches in length and 0.03 inches in thickness. Thoseskilled in the art will recognize that the various dimensions of theflexible strips 4 and elongated pad 6 of the present invention can bechanged to suit the intended application without departing from thescope of the invention.

The flexible material that is used for the flexible strips 4 and theelongated pad 6 of the rub rail includes materials with the followingcharacteristics: Shore A durometer 55-95  Tensile Strength 1200-2800 psiElongation 300-400% 100% Modulus 300-1400 psi Abrasion Resistance250-1100 mgsBrittle point (F-50 value) *0 to (−20) degrees C.* tested as directed according to ASTM D746Examples of such material include flexible PVC, urethane, silicone, TPE(Thermoplastic Elastomer), TPO, or rubber modified flexible PVC. Thepreferred range for the Shore A durometer is 65-75. The property valuesof the material used can be greater than or less than theabove-documented ranges.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show that the mounting side of the rub rail is fitted tothe hull 21 and/or deck 20 and secured by one or more screws 5 that passthrough the center section of the rub rail 1. The wear side 3 of the rubrail 1 provides some degree of protection from collision damage. The rubrail 1 shown in FIG. 2 incorporates a “water jacket” lying behind acurved stainless steel insert 8 at the center section of the rub rail onthe wear side 3 of the rub rail 1. The water jacket permits water todrain from behind the stainless steel insert 8 thereby facilitatingdrying of the stainless steel, which helps to prevent corrosion. Thepresent invention can also be used with rub rails 1 that do notincorporate the stainless steel insert 8.

Attachment of the rub rail 1 including the flexible strips 4 to the hull21 and deck 20 of the marine vessel is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In FIG. 3the hull 21 and deck 20 fit together in what is commonly know as a“shoebox” configuration. In the shoebox configuration, the deck 20 andthe hull 21 are not flush or coplanar with one another (one is mountedon top of the other). Screws 5 are inserted into the rub rail 1 andpress the elongated pads 6 against the surface of the deck 20 to sealthe screw holes in the deck 20 for preventing moisture from entering.The flexible strip 4 is pressed against the deck 20 on an upper section,while the lower section has a “dogleg” that extends beyond an edge ofthe deck 20 to the hull 21 of the vessel that allows the flexible strip4 to be pressed against the hull 21. In FIG. 3 the hull 21 and the deck20 fit together in a flange-type connection. In the flange-typeassembly, the hull 21 and the deck 20 are substantially coplanar. Thehull 21 and deck 20 are joined together at the flange. The screws 5 arescrewed into the flange to mount the rub rail 1 and for pressing theelongated pad 6 against the flange to prevent moisture from entering atthe flange. The flexible strips 4 are pressed against the deck 20 on theupper section and at the hull 21 on the lower section.

While these are a couple of methods of fitting the protective rub rail 1with the flexible strips 4 to the exterior of the vessel, other methodsmay be applicable under different arrangements of fit between the deckand the hull. Those methods are intended to be encompassed within thescope of the present invention.

Coloration, finishes, and aesthetic design detail may be added whilekeeping within the intended scope of the present invention. Colorationmay be added to the material prior to extrusion or applied after moldingthe product.

The embodiment of the rub rail moisture seal of the present inventionhas been described for use on a marine vessel. Another embodiment of thepresent invention is in moisture sealing protective side-molding for useon terrestrial vehicles such as automobiles, trucks, recreationalvehicles and the like.

1. A rub rail assembly for mounting on a surface of a vessel, theassembly comprising: a rigid portion having a mounting side facing thesurface of the vessel, a wear side facing away from the surface of thevessel; and flexible strips disposed on said mounting side forpreventing moisture from reaching the surface of the vessel under saidrigid portion.
 2. The rub rail assembly according to claim 1, whereinsaid rigid portion has a plurality of holes formed therein, each of saidholes receiving a respective fastener.
 3. The rub rail assemblyaccording to claim 2, further comprising a flexible elongated paddisposed at said holes on said mounting side, said elongated pad sealingthe surface of the vessel when said fasteners are in place.
 4. The rubrail assembly according to claim 3, wherein said rigid portion includeslegs disposed on said mounting side of said rigid portion, each of saidlegs having a respective one of said flexible strips disposed thereon.5. The rub rail assembly according to claim 4, wherein one of said legsis longer than the other for accommodating a shoebox-type deck/hullconstruction.
 6. The rub rail assembly according to claim 4, whereinsaid legs are substantially of equal length for accommodating aflange-type deck/hull construction.
 7. The rub rail assembly accordingto claim 1, wherein said flexible strips have a shore A durometer of55-85.
 8. The rub rail assembly according to claim 1, wherein saidflexible strips are co-extruded with said rigid portion.
 9. A rub railassembly for mounting on a surface of a vessel, the assembly comprising:a rigid portion having a substantially U-shaped cross-section, amounting side facing the surface of the vessel and a wear side facingaway from the surface of the vessel, said U-shaped cross-section havingtwo ends on said mounting side; and said ends each having a respectiveflexible strip disposed thereon for preventing moisture from reachingthe surface of the vessel under said rigid portion.
 10. The rub railassembly according to claim 9, wherein said rigid portion has aplurality of holes formed therein, each of said holes receiving arespective fastener.
 11. The rub rail assembly according to claim 10,further comprising a flexible elongated pad disposed at said holes onsaid mounting side, said elongated pad sealing the surface of the vesselwhen said fasteners are in place.
 12. The rub rail assembly according toclaim 9, wherein said ends are substantially coplanar for accommodatinga flange-type deck/hull construction.
 13. The rub rail assemblyaccording to claim 9, wherein said ends are not coplanar foraccommodating a shoebox-type deck/hull construction.
 14. The rub railassembly according to claim 9, wherein said flexible strips have a shoreA durometer of 55-85.
 15. The rub rail assembly according to claim 9,wherein said flexible strips are co-extruded with said rigid portion.16. The rub rail assembly according to claim 3, wherein said flexiblestrips and said elongated pad have a shore A durometer of 55-85.
 17. Therub rail assembly according to claim 3, wherein said flexible strips andsaid elongated pad are co-extruded with said rigid portion.
 18. The rubrail assembly according to claim 12, wherein said flexible strips andsaid elongated pad have a shore A durometer of 55-85.
 19. The rub railassembly according to claim 12, wherein said flexible strips and saidelongated pad are co-extruded with said rigid portion.